Supply Chain Executive Commentary

In 2015, field service saw the expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the boom of Big Data. The growth of new companies and technologies have made it easier for service businesses to offer customers strong service programs and deliver more uptime for equipment end users.

How well does your IT firm support legal firms, banks, retailers and other customers? Not just their computers, networks, and the applications that manage their information and allow them to run their daily operations — but everything they need to meet local, state, and federal regulations as well as industry guidelines. That’s the ultimate recipe for channel success.

Your small business clients wanting to make a big impact with customers can utilize 2D bar codes — which can include more information, such as price, quantity, web address, or even an image, compared to their 1D counterpart.

An annual study by Wakefield Research for VitalSource Technologies found that 44 percent of students don’t go more than 10 minutes without using some form of technology during an average school day. Knowing the prevalence among students to use technology throughout the day is so high, why not meet them on common ground when trying to connect? Schools have an opportunity to not only enhance the connected campus experience, but also to reduce costs and improve operations as well. Reduced maintenance technology that supplants dinosaur devices or practices can save colleges and universities countless time and money through an overall low total cost of ownership.

It is only fitting that institutions of higher learning, where innovation is encouraged, are leading the way in advancements related to confirming student identity and controlling access to campus buildings. While student identification (ID) cards have evolved over the years, some colleges and universities have truly gone high-tech in the ways students can prove who they are.

Looking toward the future, businesses are taking a more standardized approach and respecting the importance that labeling solutions play in the supply chain. Companies are beginning to understand that they need to develop a labeling strategy alongside their supply chain strategy. They are working toward identifying a solution to meet all of the challenges of functioning in today’s global supply chain. This new focus on the strategic value of labeling has required a different and innovative approach to labeling called “enterprise labeling.”

In today’s always-on environment, end users have more choices than ever before: more choices in finding answers to and solving their challenges and infinite ways to buy. Disruptive technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), enterprise asset intelligence, and cloud computing coupled with end-user buying behavior impacts how channel partners position themselves in the market and what services and skills they require to survive. To meet the varying needs of customers, channel partners can deliver value from the convenience of fulfillment of replacement products to the delivery and execution of complex solutions. New partner models mean there is a need for new partner programs that quickly adapt to this evolving environment.

In a competitive industry like retail when making marketing decisions, intuition and gut instinct, have taken a back seat to Big Data. Big Data has become more than just a buzzword amongst marketers no matter the industry. In 2015, Big Data rules how commerce decisions are handled whether it is a small family business or fortune 500 company.

Managed services providers (MSPs) have a responsibility to be up to speed on emerging industry trends and adaptable to new technologies. These activities are critical to ensuring that the MSP remains perpetually valuable to customers and profitable as a business. The challenge often lies in finding a balance between managing the business through multiple change cycles and maintaining control of all assets.